Legions of gay men from around the world, whose preference for flannel and body fur challenged the stereotype of the slim, smooth and dapper gay man, proudly co-opted the word "bear" more than a decade ago to describe themselves. Pete King, organizer (or "ChairBear") of next weekend's Hairrison celebration, the world's only bear street fair, believes that being a bear is less about looking the part or acting the part than it is about thinking the part.

"I think that classic bear look, the large, hairy, masculine guy who wears a plaid shirt and drives a truck, that's been fetishized and become sort of a sexual archetype," King says. "But, at its core, the bear community is really just about acceptance and respecting and celebrating physical diversity. The fact is, we don't all look the same, and we don't all have the same bodies."

The bear community has flourished just off the mainstream radar for years. But the success of local all-bear events, such as the International Bear Rendezvous and the Lazy Bear Weekend, both of which draw thousands of participants from around the globe, has seriously increased bear visibility. There are currently dozens of Web sites, magazines and organizations dedicated to the bear lifestyle. Bears even have their own pride flag, which features a bear paw print.

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"The whole scene is exploding right now," King says. "There are bear bars and nightclubs and dances and events all over the world. The only thing is, these events tend to be very insular."

So two years ago, King came up with the idea for a bear street fair, which he describes as, "a giant coming-out party for the bear community." His friends agreed that a bear street fair made perfect sense, especially in San Francisco, which already plays host to a handful of street fairs that celebrate so-called "alternative lifestyles." (The Folsom Street Fair is Sept. 25.) But bringing the Bay Area up to speed on the bear movement, King says, was a little trickier.

"When I said (to city officials) that I wanted to organize a bear street fair, I got a lot of very puzzled looks," he says. "One police officer actually said, 'Wait a minute, you mean you're going to have live bears out on the street? That's really dangerous. I think you need to talk to Animal Control and probably the zoo.' So I had to start at the beginning and explain to him what a bear is and what it is we're about."

The first Hairrison event, which took place last August, far exceeded anyone's expectations -- even King's. The four-day party drew more than 5, 000 people, most of them locals, and raised $10,000 for local nonprofit organizations.

It didn't take long for word of Hairrison's success to spread on the bear grapevine. King and his staff hadn't even closed the books on last year's event when they began receiving e-mails from bears planning to attend this year from as far away as Italy, Mexico and New Zealand.

King had to double the size of this year's street fair, which takes place next Sunday, to accommodate the expected crowd. He also added two more stages for live entertainment. Performers at this year's main event include the Whoa Nellies (an "ultra-mod" quintet specializing in classic three-part harmony pop songs from the mid-to-late '60s and early '70s), Smash Up Derby (which calls itself the world's only mash-up rock band), Pepperspray (a "tranny rock" band that combines the Sex Pistols and the Spice Girls) and the Ethel Merman Experience (Ethel impersonator Mark Sargent channels Merman doing rock 'n' roll).

"It's crazy, isn't it?" he says. "Here I thought it was going to be this little block party and, right out of the gate, it's the largest bear event in the world. I think just being in San Francisco had a lot to do with that. I mean, (San Franciscans) do love a good party, and we love to turn out into the streets. So we're very happy. Stressed, but happy."

Organizing an event of this size is not without its share of hassles. Hairrison is already experiencing growing pains that other street fairs haven't had to deal with so early on. The biggest challenge, King says, has been trying to figure out how to accommodate Hairrison's rapid growth financially without losing the event's community focus.

To that end, King is trying to keep corporate sponsorship, an obvious source of funding, to a minimum because he believes it changes the look and atmosphere of the event. He's also removed the marketplace aspect from the street fair equation. You won't find any craft vendors at Hairrison the way you do at all of the other street fairs, which often rely on the money generated by booth sales to stay afloat.

"I just want (Hairrison) to be more laid-back and more fun," he says. "I don't want it to be so commercial. I'd rather give booth space to community- serving businesses and organizations. That's more what we're about."

King has also worked to make Hairrison more inclusive than some of the other gay-centric street fairs. While he admits that increasing bear visibility is important to him, he insists that it's not his or Hairrison's main goal.

"(Hairrison) is about gay pride," he says. "It's about doing away with all of the stereotypes. I want every gay man, when he looks in the mirror, to like what he sees, because we're all beautiful. So I guess Hairrison is really about just accepting yourself and being comfortable in your own skin.

THE
HAIRRISON STREET FAIR
takes place from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. next Sun. on Harrison Street between Ninth and 11th streets, San Francisco. Other Hairrison events Thurs.-Sat. at various locations. For schedule, go to
www.hairrison.org
.